Old Fort’s recovery: FloatLife Fest highlights a year of rebuilding in NC town after Helene

A year after Hurricane Helene swept through Old Fort, North Carolina, the Blue Ridge foothills town hosted FloatLife Fest, a three-day gathering that drew about 400 attendees and temporarily swelled the town’s population by roughly that many. The event, billed as the original and longest-running festival for motorized Onewheel boards, arrived as a gauge of whether Old Fort’s pivot to outdoor recreation could survive another blow. For some locals, the festival offered a glimpse of a potential new normal where outdoor tourism again becomes the backbone of an economy long defined by visitors who come for mountains, trails and scenery.

The festival’s return signaled a fragile rebound in a town that has fought to rebuild in the wake of Helene. Signs of progress are mixed. Most shops have reopened since the flood of September 2024, but workers continue to chip away at debris downtown, and some homes remain unlivable. Bike shop owner Chad Schoenauer, who opened his Old Fort Bike Shop in 2021, says the area’s revival depends on a strong fall leaf-peeping season to offset a year of losses and a still-fragile tourist economy. “We should definitely come back again,” said Jess Jones, a marine biologist from Edinburgh, Scotland, who described the town’s hospitality as a bright spot even as the physical damage remained visible.

The town’s post-disaster narrative has long been tied to its natural assets. After a 2019 decision by Ethan Allen to convert its local factory into a distribution center, leaders began reshaping Old Fort into a year-round outdoor-destination hub for hiking, running, horseback riding and mountain biking. The push emphasized a red clay terrain that many believe produces some of the country’s best trails. In 2021, the G5 Trail Collective, spearheaded by Camp Grier outdoors, persuaded the U.S. Forest Service to authorize 42 miles of new multi-purpose trails. The initiative paid dividends quickly: for every trail opened, a new business appeared in town, according to Jason McDougald, the camp’s executive director.

But Helene delivered a reset. The storm, which hit Sept. 27, 2024, drove the Catawba River into Mill Creek and left downtown under several feet of muddy water. The trails at Foothills Watershed mountain biking complex, where McKissick had spent three years building a premier park, were badly damaged: 48 large shade trees were toppled and an 18,000-square-foot track built with banks and jumps was destroyed. The loss wasn’t limited to infrastructure. McKissick says the flood destroyed a brand-new septic field that had never yet been used and that the business did not carry flood insurance, a risk they believed was unlikely. The result: about $150,000 in uninsured losses and eight months of lost business, including the critical fall foliage season.

The economic toll extended beyond specific sites. The state reported a statewide tourism surge in the year prior, with Gov. Josh Stein noting a record $36.7 billion in traveler spending. Yet Buncombe County, which includes Asheville, recorded an 11% drop in visitor spending for the year ending in 2024, while McDowell County’s numbers fell about 3%. Local leaders say foot traffic at the county’s largest visitor center was down roughly 50% in June and July, a signal that damage to the Blue Ridge Parkway—the popular scenic route that threads through McDowell and neighboring counties—has dampened regional tourism. About 35 miles (56 kilometers) of the parkway in North Carolina is not expected to reopen until fall 2026, complicating access to trail systems and lodging that had become bedrock for Old Fort’s economy. McDougald notes that nearly every trail within the Old Fort complex was damaged, with landslides washing out sections up to 300 feet long. Since the storm, crews have reopened about 30 miles (48 kilometers) of trail, leaving roughly the same distance still closed.

Despite the setbacks, there have been signs of recovery. Schoenauer reopened his shop in December, but traffic has remained weak, down about two-thirds this summer. He has repositioned his business toward maintenance and repair, helping people use the bikes they already own to stay active while rebuilding the local riding scene. The Foothills Watershed complex opened in June, but without the planned riverfront gazebo and performance stage. Jumps were moved to higher ground to reduce flood risk, a change in how operators now view the floodplain and how visitors will experience the park going forward. McKissick says the adjustment reflects a broader shift in planning: resilience now informs where and how recreation happens.

Across the region, observers say the older, tourism-driven economy is learning to live with the new normal—one in which getting back to pre-storm numbers will take time, and where infrastructure investments and marketing initiatives must be coordinated with ongoing construction and environmental protection efforts. Efforts by local leaders and tourism groups have emphasized diversifying beyond a single season or draw to include consistent outdoor activities and year-round access to trails and parks. Kim Effler, president and CEO of the McDowell Chamber of Commerce, says the current year is about rebuilding trust with visitors who may be unaware that Old Fort is again open for business. “We’re starting to see more people discover us again,” Effler says, but she cautions that the region still faces a slow return to normal cash flow, and that the relief for affected businesses will be incremental rather than immediate.

The contrast between the town’s aims and its current realities highlights the uneven nature of recovery. FloatLife Fest illustrated a possibility: a community rallying around a unique niche in the outdoor economy, investing in trails and events that bring visitors at shoulder seasons. But for many business owners, the road back will require patience, continued investment, and cooperation among municipal officials, trail groups, and local retailers. As Old Fort continues rebuilding, its leaders say the goal is not simply to recover, but to build a more resilient, diversified economy that can weather future storms while continuing to attract people who seek outdoor adventure.